This week we had zone conference and my companion and I did so well on apartment inspections that we won the Golden Plunger Award. This is my 5th Golden Plunger Award of my mission. You all would be happy to know that I actually live in a clean apartment!

After District Meeting we took a picture with just the Elders in the District. Pretty awesome bunch of Elders.

We had a ward activity this week in Taft Ward and it was at one of our member’s houses, so we had to take a picture of the Taft Elders. They are both Spanish Speaking Missionaries and do all of the Spanish work in Taft while we do all of the English work.

There’s this illness in the greater Bakersfield Area called Valley Fever, it’s a pretty big deal and kills people in some circumstances, so I thought I should take a picture with this iconic sign.

Yeasterday I had my Mother’s day call home to my Mom and the rest of my family. Oh how I love them! My family is so crazy! haha. Regardless of that I still love them. After the call home to them I was considering all of tasks I had to work through to make it out here on my mission, and more importantly where I was able to increase my testimony of the Savoir in the biggest ways.

After further consideration I was able to think of two things in particular that sincerely helped qualify me to be a missionary, those are and were Priesthood Service and Seminary Attendance. Without those two testimony building activities I would not be who I am today.

Obviously Priesthood Service helps make a missionary, because Missionary Service is just a part of the Priesthood. Lots of us are looking for service opportunities, but in reality they are all around us. If there’s something good to do than do it… It’s service!

I am so thankful for my seminary teachers (Brother Shim, Brother Haight & Sister Carter) and the many, many substitutes we had. I think the reason seminary was so huge to me was because it in a way forced me to read the scriptures. And we all know that the moment we sincerely read the Book of Mormon that the Lord will give unto us insights to our purpose that last a lifetime.

I dug deep into the Mormon Messages archives to find a great video! I love you and thanks so much for your support to me!

The money you sent me for easter was the perfect amount for a well needed pair of shoes from Kohls. I put it on your rewards thing mom. So you should have some Kohl’s Cash coming your way haha. And more pictures of me on a redneck carnival ride haha. I love you all!

Wasn’t general conference amazing?! I loved it so much! One of the 70s I had a meeting with (Joaqiun E. Costa) spoke and I absolutely loved his talk. The talks that really made a difference for me was President Uchtdorf and President Eyring’s talks in Priesthood session. They changed my heart in the moment. I love you all so much!

Taft continues to be a super fun place! This week We were among the people a lot! We went to two high school Tennis Matches. We also went to a high school track meet that had about 10 different high schools represented from the Greater Bakersfield Area. It was so fun, I forgot how intense some high school sports can be. We’ve also been attending Taft Colleges’ Softball and Baseball games! Getting among the people is so easy in a small college town!

We’ve been finding lots of new investigators also, so thank you so much for your prayers!!

This week has been killer! Elder Coburn and I had a blast! We worked really hard. It’s getting hot here in the Bakersfield mission it was over 80 degrees a couple days this week and I am sweating up a storm! Maybe I’ll lose a couple of pounds this summer before I go home haha. I love you all, thank you so much!

Hi everyone! So Taft week one has been super good! My companion and I met each other. His name is Elder Coburn, He’s from Utah. Yesterday was my fisrt day in church in the Taft Ward and holy cow, there were 37 people there not including us (the missionaries). This ward is pretty much a branch. That is the assignment the mission president gave us though, to “make Taft great again!”

This week was killer! Elder Lykins and I had lots of fun trying to find people and teaching. It seems like we never have a moment to breathe, which is definitely the preference to not being busy enough. This week we sadly didn’t have any investigators attend church which was a huge bummer because the last month we’ve had at least one investigator at church and sometimes more. From this experience and others I’ve had recently I’ve realized that we need to count our many blessings and rid ourselves of any entitlement we might have. We’re really not entitled to much in this life. We need to work for what we get. I love the scripture found in D&C 130:20-21, “There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated— And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.”

What a wonderful element of the Doctrine of Christ!

Joy comes not from thinking that we are unconditionally owed certain things like investigators that come to church. It comes from being grateful.